By Staff Writer: Jada Boprie

It’s a little startling to be walking to class and suddenly hear a Guns’n’Roses song blasting through the hallway. Especially the song “Sweet Child O’ Mine” with Axl Rose’s high pitched wailing. We’re all used to hearing snidbits of music from the band and choir rooms, but for the week before break at Howell High School, music has been playing during every passing time through the school’s intercom system.

The plan, called March to Music, was devised by a group of students in HHS’s Leadership class. The idea is that not only will it brighten up the school a little, but it can also be used to get to class on time. At HHS we have a five-minute passing time with a two-minute-warning bell. The music starts one minute after the two-minute warning, and lasts for 55 seconds. When it ends, students have five seconds to get to class.

Students seem to have mixed feelings about this. Some think it’s pretty cool, whether they need help getting to class on time or not. I’ve even seen some kids dancing to the music. Still, others think it’s kind of lame. The group of students who created March to Music are the ones who pick the songs that are played. Besides the flashback to Guns’n’Roses, most of the music the play is current songs. So far, the school has enjoyed songs like Lorde’s “Royals,” The Neighbourhood’s “Sweater Weather, and Bastille’s “Pompeii.”

In fact, their choice in music is much better than what some people dare to play through the school. Two years ago as a freshman at the Freshman Campus, there seemed to be an administrator with a fondness for Neil Diamond. This anonymous fan would play the classic “Sweet Caroline” a few times a day during our passing times. Luckily, they would only be obsessed with the song for a couple days, and we’d get a nice dose of radio silence before the next round of “Sweeeeet Caroliiiiiiine, bup da daaaa . . .”